I wonder why CR is staring a new simulcast more than half way through the season. This series hasn't gotten alot of requests like Little Busters did in Q4 2012. Don't think it's the best use of the funds CR has.

On GJ CLUB itself, from the description it seems to have a very similar premise to Student Council's Discretion, and that series is walks a fine line between "mediocre" and "average" in my opinion. Don't think this will be any better (or worse) but once episode 1 is released I"ll check it out.

Just watched episode 1. Seems very like Student Council's Discretion. Even with president being small and teased for looking/acting like a much younger child. Doesn't seem to be anything especially great, nor especially bad, so I'll probably keep watching it.

I wonder why CR is staring a new simulcast more than half way through the season. This series hasn't gotten alot of requests like Little Busters did in Q4 2012. Don't think it's the best use of the funds CR has.

On GJ CLUB itself, from the description it seems to have a very similar premise to Student Council's Discretion, and that series is walks a fine line between "mediocre" and "average" in my opinion. Don't think this will be any better (or worse) but once episode 1 is released I"ll check it out.

Just watched episode 1. Seems very like Student Council's Discretion. Even with president being small and teased for looking/acting like a much younger child. Doesn't seem to be anything especially great, nor especially bad, so I'll probably keep watching it.

I think like this anime. The art is so "kawaii" and my spidey senses harem coming soon.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Read your message again:

aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only?

But anyways, premium only shows are not their choice. It is a condition of the license they are able to get. Crunchyroll would prefer to have all shows available an hour later for premium and a week later for free users worldwide but they can't get those conditions often. Usually there are time and regional conditions unfortunately.

There was no Internet when I was 12 so I didn't have that problem. I watched my anime on Saturday mornings on TV, Starblazers, Robotech, Grandizer, et al. And I used my chequing account for mail order! Don't write many cheques or order by mail any more... But I understand what you're saying there, don't have a solution for you, sorry.

I hope Crunchyroll will succeed too.

Sadly people like your friend will likely always find an excuse to use pirate sites as long as they are available. I hope they realize they are not real fans if they steal the shows the claim to be fans of. And I hope they also realize that they won't make more if one person pays for it and rips it and uploads it and the rest of the world gets to see it for free.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Read your message again:

aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only?

But anyways, premium only shows are not their choice. It is a condition of the license they are able to get. Crunchyroll would prefer to have all shows available an hour later for premium and a week later for free users worldwide but they can't get those conditions often. Usually there are time and regional conditions unfortunately.

There was no Internet when I was 12 so I didn't have that problem. I watched my anime on Saturday mornings on TV, Starblazers, Robotech, Grandizer, et al. And I used my chequing account for mail order! Don't write many cheques or order by mail any more... But I understand what you're saying there, don't have a solution for you, sorry.

I hope Crunchyroll will succeed too.

Sadly people like your friend will likely always find an excuse to use pirate sites as long as they are available. I hope they realize they are not real fans if they steal the shows the claim to be fans of. And I hope they also realize that they won't make more if one person pays for it and rips it and uploads it and the rest of the world gets to see it for free.

Whoops, sorry about that. I stand totally corrected there, lol.

I didn't realise that premium only was part of their licensing conditions, that's a shame for them, though I suppose it makes sense on a certain level for the parent companies.

I was simply stretching your analogy when I said about you not having access to a card, and I personally have a debit card, but just would rather remain a free member. But I do fear they could be losing out on an importance audience, as those 12 year olds will grow up to be the next adults, therefore it's important to get their interest whilst they're young.

Honestly, I think most pirate users are simply taking the path of least resistance to get access to anime, I don't think they use pirate sites just to spite Crunchyroll. That's why I think that like with a river, a channel needs to be dug to control this flow, rather than relying on legal dams to stop it moving towards pirate sites.

As for the whole "real fans" issue, that feels like a whole different kettle of fish. For some people, being a real fan famously means buying every bit of merch and variant of the same DVD avaliable. Personally, I just go by the dictionary definition of a fan, which is "A person who has a strong interest inoradmiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person." If they weren't interested, they wouldn't watch it at all.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Read your message again:

aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only?

But anyways, premium only shows are not their choice. It is a condition of the license they are able to get. Crunchyroll would prefer to have all shows available an hour later for premium and a week later for free users worldwide but they can't get those conditions often. Usually there are time and regional conditions unfortunately.

There was no Internet when I was 12 so I didn't have that problem. I watched my anime on Saturday mornings on TV, Starblazers, Robotech, Grandizer, et al. And I used my chequing account for mail order! Don't write many cheques or order by mail any more... But I understand what you're saying there, don't have a solution for you, sorry.

I hope Crunchyroll will succeed too.

Sadly people like your friend will likely always find an excuse to use pirate sites as long as they are available. I hope they realize they are not real fans if they steal the shows the claim to be fans of. And I hope they also realize that they won't make more if one person pays for it and rips it and uploads it and the rest of the world gets to see it for free.

Whoops, sorry about that. I stand totally corrected there, lol.

I didn't realise that premium only was part of their licensing conditions, that's a shame for them, though I suppose it makes sense on a certain level for the parent companies.

I was simply stretching your analogy when I said about you not having access to a card, and I personally have a debit card, but just would rather remain a free member. But I do fear they could be losing out on an importance audience, as those 12 year olds will grow up to be the next adults, therefore it's important to get their interest whilst they're young.

Honestly, I think most pirate users are simply taking the path of least resistance to get access to anime, I don't think they use pirate sites just to spite Crunchyroll. That's why I think that like with a river, a channel needs to be dug to control this flow, rather than relying on legal dams to stop it moving towards pirate sites.

As for the whole "real fans" issue, that feels like a whole different kettle of fish. For some people, being a real fan famously means buying every bit of merch and variant of the same DVD avaliable. Personally, I just go by the dictionary definition of a fan, which is "A person who has a strong interest inoradmiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person." If they weren't interested, they wouldn't watch it at all.

Free, path of least resistance ... Lazy... Yes I agree most people would rather not spend money on anything and yet they expect to be paid for their own work. Hmm, does that sound very fair?

If you are a fan and you meet your idol do you think they will be happier if you say you buy all their CDs or that you download rips? You show your strong interest and admiration by supporting them which means buying or viewing legally, some way that helps them to make a living. You are showing contempt and dishonesty if you say you are a fan but you just steal all their work.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Read your message again:

aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only?

But anyways, premium only shows are not their choice. It is a condition of the license they are able to get. Crunchyroll would prefer to have all shows available an hour later for premium and a week later for free users worldwide but they can't get those conditions often. Usually there are time and regional conditions unfortunately.

There was no Internet when I was 12 so I didn't have that problem. I watched my anime on Saturday mornings on TV, Starblazers, Robotech, Grandizer, et al. And I used my chequing account for mail order! Don't write many cheques or order by mail any more... But I understand what you're saying there, don't have a solution for you, sorry.

I hope Crunchyroll will succeed too.

Sadly people like your friend will likely always find an excuse to use pirate sites as long as they are available. I hope they realize they are not real fans if they steal the shows the claim to be fans of. And I hope they also realize that they won't make more if one person pays for it and rips it and uploads it and the rest of the world gets to see it for free.

Whoops, sorry about that. I stand totally corrected there, lol.

I didn't realise that premium only was part of their licensing conditions, that's a shame for them, though I suppose it makes sense on a certain level for the parent companies.

I was simply stretching your analogy when I said about you not having access to a card, and I personally have a debit card, but just would rather remain a free member. But I do fear they could be losing out on an importance audience, as those 12 year olds will grow up to be the next adults, therefore it's important to get their interest whilst they're young.

Honestly, I think most pirate users are simply taking the path of least resistance to get access to anime, I don't think they use pirate sites just to spite Crunchyroll. That's why I think that like with a river, a channel needs to be dug to control this flow, rather than relying on legal dams to stop it moving towards pirate sites.

As for the whole "real fans" issue, that feels like a whole different kettle of fish. For some people, being a real fan famously means buying every bit of merch and variant of the same DVD avaliable. Personally, I just go by the dictionary definition of a fan, which is "A person who has a strong interest inoradmiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person." If they weren't interested, they wouldn't watch it at all.[/quote

]

Free, path of least resistance ... Lazy... Yes I agree most people would rather not spend money on anything and yet they expect to be paid for their own work. Hmm, does that sound very fair?

If you are a fan and you meet your idol do you think they will be happier if you say you buy all their CDs or that you download rips? You show your strong interest and admiration by supporting them which means buying or viewing legally, some way that helps them to make a living. You are showing contempt and dishonesty if you say you are a fan but you just steal all their work.

Oh it's not fair or logical in the slightest, I perfectly agree. But simply giving stern looks and taking legal action appears not to stem the tide whatsoever, therefore it would seem that a change in methods is needed. Otherwise, the industry will surely be banging its head against a brick wall?

I really think we need to differentiate here between what we could call the "active fan" and the "passive fan". To my mind, the active fan is just like you describe, wanting to meet the creators and support them, but the passive fan is much more of a simple consumer, looking for something to enjoy. Of course, we can't split people into groups on this, I imagine it's more like a spectrum which everyone sits on at a particular point.

Take my friend for example; from what you know of him so far, I'm sure you would put him way on the passive end of the spectrum. However, what I haven't mentioned yet is that whilst he uses pirate websites, he also likes to buy lots of anime on dvd, and attends the local anime conventions. I in comparison, whilst preferring to use this legit site than a pirate site, buy much fewer dvds, and have never attended a con. Which of us is the more active of a fan?

Incidentally, thank you for debating with me on all this. It's been really interesting so far, and it feels good to vocalise and develop my views.

Yeah, I can see that. But aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only? If someone is already prepared to watch 1-7 on a pirate site, what is the real incentive to pay for a chrunchyroll subscription?

Perhaps it's just me, but I think the way Crunchyroll restricts access to certain shows and makes it's free users wait longer for new episodes than those using pirate sites (a week compared to 24 hrs!) is seriously shooting itself in the foot. I think the drop-off would be much bigger if they opened up the access to all users, and whilst continuing to give premium users access to other perks such as HD video and reduced store prices.

Whilst I am happy to wait a week to watch a new episode of shin sekai yori and space brothers, because I'd only be waiting for the next official release anyway, my friend doesn't see things the same way and so doesn't bother with this site at all, instead using pirate sites.

This show is NOT premium only. All users can now watch 1-7, premium members can already see 8 as well, free users get it next week.

The anime membership is so cheap, just get it! You get so much for $7/month or $60/year or whatever it is. When I was 12 with a paper route I could have afforded $7/month...

I am sure Crunchyroll has analyzed how to best get members. If they put them out free with ads in the first week they figure they would get less members.

I never actually said this show was premium only, although I will confess I did think it was. At any rate, there are shows on here which are premium only; CR say that themselves.

Like I said before, I'm happy to wait about for a week, so going premium is totally meaningless for me. As for my friend, he doesn't see the point in paying for something he can get free elsewhere, so CR isn't even getting any ad-revenue off him. Also, I would point out that when you were 12, you didn't have access to a credit card, and many parents are reluctant to let their kids buy stuff online off their cards. This is why prepaid cards for PSN points and Facebook credits can be bought in shops. As far as I know, CR doesn't do this, at least not in the UK.

I certainly hope that CR has a game plan worked out, as I really do want legitimate sites such as them to succeed. I'm sure there are plenty of extra factors which we don't know about which likely make a difference. Honestly though, I can't see how they can attract people like my friend in the long run without using their advantage over the pirate sites of being able to release a day ahead of them. The only other thing they seem to have going for them is their support of devices such as the Roku and tablets.

Read your message again:

aren't they undermining themselves by making this show premium-only?

But anyways, premium only shows are not their choice. It is a condition of the license they are able to get. Crunchyroll would prefer to have all shows available an hour later for premium and a week later for free users worldwide but they can't get those conditions often. Usually there are time and regional conditions unfortunately.

There was no Internet when I was 12 so I didn't have that problem. I watched my anime on Saturday mornings on TV, Starblazers, Robotech, Grandizer, et al. And I used my chequing account for mail order! Don't write many cheques or order by mail any more... But I understand what you're saying there, don't have a solution for you, sorry.

I hope Crunchyroll will succeed too.

Sadly people like your friend will likely always find an excuse to use pirate sites as long as they are available. I hope they realize they are not real fans if they steal the shows the claim to be fans of. And I hope they also realize that they won't make more if one person pays for it and rips it and uploads it and the rest of the world gets to see it for free.

Whoops, sorry about that. I stand totally corrected there, lol.

I didn't realise that premium only was part of their licensing conditions, that's a shame for them, though I suppose it makes sense on a certain level for the parent companies.

I was simply stretching your analogy when I said about you not having access to a card, and I personally have a debit card, but just would rather remain a free member. But I do fear they could be losing out on an importance audience, as those 12 year olds will grow up to be the next adults, therefore it's important to get their interest whilst they're young.

Honestly, I think most pirate users are simply taking the path of least resistance to get access to anime, I don't think they use pirate sites just to spite Crunchyroll. That's why I think that like with a river, a channel needs to be dug to control this flow, rather than relying on legal dams to stop it moving towards pirate sites.

As for the whole "real fans" issue, that feels like a whole different kettle of fish. For some people, being a real fan famously means buying every bit of merch and variant of the same DVD avaliable. Personally, I just go by the dictionary definition of a fan, which is "A person who has a strong interest inoradmiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person." If they weren't interested, they wouldn't watch it at all.[/quote

]

Free, path of least resistance ... Lazy... Yes I agree most people would rather not spend money on anything and yet they expect to be paid for their own work. Hmm, does that sound very fair?

If you are a fan and you meet your idol do you think they will be happier if you say you buy all their CDs or that you download rips? You show your strong interest and admiration by supporting them which means buying or viewing legally, some way that helps them to make a living. You are showing contempt and dishonesty if you say you are a fan but you just steal all their work.

Oh it's not fair or logical in the slightest, I perfectly agree. But simply giving stern looks and taking legal action appears not to stem the tide whatsoever, therefore it would seem that a change in methods is needed. Otherwise, the industry will surely be banging its head against a brick wall?

I really think we need to differentiate here between what we could call the "active fan" and the "passive fan". To my mind, the active fan is just like you describe, wanting to meet the creators and support them, but the passive fan is much more of a simple consumer, looking for something to enjoy. Of course, we can't split people into groups on this, I imagine it's more like a spectrum which everyone sits on at a particular point.

Take my friend for example; from what you know of him so far, I'm sure you would put him way on the passive end of the spectrum. However, what I haven't mentioned yet is that whilst he uses pirate websites, he also likes to buy lots of anime on dvd, and attends the local anime conventions. I in comparison, whilst preferring to use this legit site than a pirate site, buy much fewer dvds, and have never attended a con. Which of us is the more active of a fan?

Incidentally, thank you for debating with me on all this. It's been really interesting so far, and it feels good to vocalise and develop my views.

I know, many justify the use of fansubs and rips as a preview especially if there isn't a way to view it legally like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure which was not licensed here. They often go so far as to say the industry turns a blind eye to it because it is free advertising. If you do buy merchandise after watching it or listening to it illegally then at the end of the day you are supporting them.

I still don't like viewing/listening to rips so I don't do it but I understand that people are frustrated by waiting and limited availability. Like you I prefer to wait and watch it legally but we are the 1% it seems. Most will view it legally if this is easy, free or cheap and convenient, not too many ads, not a long wait but have no qualms about going to rips if they are made to wait a week.

I love the boxes and booklets but some find they just take up space and would prefer legal downloads instead.

Back to your original message, Funimation doesn't make free users wait a week and their site often forgets to play the ads. I don't know if they care as they seem to use access to their back catalog and especially dubs as incentive to get a membership. Crunchyroll doesn't limit much to premium members by comparison.

Not sure what the answer is. Someone complained in the Usagi Drop thread that $60 is too much to pay for the whole season but that seems cheap to me as I am accustomed to paying $300 for a single season of imported BDs. Crunchyroll for $50/year is an absolute steal by comparison as I probably watch over 80 series or 1000 episodes a year here alone. 500 hours/ year sounds a bit low actually... Thats just over an hour a day.

Having already gone though an anime bust where companies literally went bankrupt because no one was buying their stuff (granted they wanted an arm, a leg, their unborn child and right butt cheek but I digress), giving CR 7 bucks a month to watch without commercials on my television screen in HD is worth it. The point of going premium is to not see the commercials for me and quite frankly I think it's worth it. It's subtitled and shown to me usually day of from Japan. I'm like hpulley where we didn't have this stuff back then. We used to jump up for joy when someone got a bad VHS copy of a program with no subs like a year after it was shown in Japan because they didn't have CR and Funimation, Hulu, Netflix back then. People use the internet for everything now thinking because you can download it it makes it right to rip people off. I support wherever I can legit releases whenever possible. I guess because I have the history to know what it's like to NOT have anime I can make that determination. Those who were born during the internet don't really "get it" and think everything is owed to them. Makes me sad honestly.